As since the start of the 2020 season, the MotoGP paddock remains closed to journalists. But, as usual, that obviously doesn't stop him from buzzing with rumors, some of which come back to our ears...
We hide most of them, either because of a confidentiality clause, or for lack of elements allowing us to think that they are something other than rumors, but it also happens that several apparently diffuse elements overlap and, At this time, we share it with you.
Following theoperation of the meniscus and cruciate ligament of the left knee Franco Morbidelli, the Petronas Yamaha SRT team had to make arrangements to replace the Italian alongside Valentino Rossi.
On the TT Circuit Assen, the Malaysian team called on Garrett Gerloff, in a sort of making contact with the one who, to date, seems to hold the rope to replace the nine-time title winner next year, if the latter indeed confirms the general feeling that we are witnessing the last MotoGP races of the immense transalpine champion.
But this one-off replacement of the American cannot definitively resolve the problems encountered by Razlan Razali and Johan Stigefelt: an operation on the cruciate ligaments usually requires two months of convalescence and rehabilitation, which approximately pushes the return of Franco Morbidelli well after the summer break.
However, the rest of the calendar promises to be busy, not only with 10 Grands Prix in 14 weeks, but above all with a start consisting of two consecutive Grands Prix in Austria, followed 10 days later by the British event at Silverstone.
Without being able to count ad vitam aeternam on Garrett gerloff (the man still has a contract to respect in Superbike with the GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), the Petronas Yamaha SRT team therefore had to think ahead to replace “Franky”.
In consultation with Yamaha, whose European test program is still impacted by travel restrictions between Europe and Japan, it was therefore decided that the test rider Cal Crutchlow would participate in the two races in Austria, and possibly at Silverstone if the state of Franco Morbidelli still requires it.
The announcement is certainly not yet official but, according to several of our sources in the paddock, it is confirmed. We will therefore have the pleasure of seeing the Briton in the race again.
If the Japanese Grand Prix had not been cancelled, it might have been a wildcard return, which would have undoubtedly given us a nice decoration to celebrate the 66th anniversary of Yamaha Motor occurred on July 1, or even the 60th anniversary of the first participation of the Iwata firm in Grands Prix, but we will undoubtedly have to be satisfied with the usual and nevertheless pretty sea green of the Malaysian tanker.
Either way, we're already looking forward to listening to the deadpan debriefs at the Red Bull Ring...
If you would like to check out our previous episodes of “Radio Paddock”, it’s here, and even if the truth of one day is not necessarily that of the next, we cannot say that we have been contradicted by the news… Or by the interested parties themselves who read us.
